Do You Want to Live in the Country?

Here we explore the dreams of "living in the country". Is it all that it's cracked up to be? What do you need to check?

How many times have you heard people say, "I want to live in the country", "I want a smallholding!", "A holiday business!", "I want to work from home".

The idea of making money in the city, paying off the mortgage and going to live in the country is enticing. You can get a beautiful old farm house, work from home, enjoy the nature and breathe in fresh air. And most of this is true but there are risks and downsides to consider too.

So what's your dream? Make a list of what you are looking for.

Do you really want to live in the country? "In the country" could have a whole range of meanings. Do you want to live in a market town, a little village or really out in the sticks? Or would holidays do? I ask this because living in the country is so different to visiting it.

What do you enjoy about living in the city? The buzz, the access to theatre, music, education, exhibitions, people, shops, etc? When you have a dream it's easy to miss the truth of your current situation.

Living in a village can be fun and socialable, providing you get on with the general population (it could be small) and are happy to deal with village politics. However, they can also be intrusive - people are naturally curious and some people will want to know your business.

Are you happy to use the car a lot. Many country roads are winding, narrow and fast. Walking along country roads is not a good idea! If it's walking you're after check that you CAN walk in the place you're interested in. Sometimes there are surprisingly few walkways as it's private access.

Would you be happy living somewhere with few shops - of course you could shop online and have your groceries delivered by the local box scheme, or dare I say, a supermarket chain (maybe that wouldn't sit comfortably with the "living in the country" theme!).

Employment. If you want to stay with your current company, can you work from home? Is this acceptable? With the current credit crunch and subsequent redundancies, this is less available. Especially if you need to prove your worth - bosses may want to see you in the office. Setting up your own business is an option but research it thoroughly - it's a big risk, takes up a huge amount of your time, though the rewards can be worth it. Setting up a B&B is another popular option - and again, it's a lot of work.

The assumption of simply getting another job in your new location if your current job doesn't work out is again risky - jobs are now not easy to come by, and the pay is generally much lower outside the big smoke. Most people need an income and getting this right, with your feet firmly on the ground, is crucial!

You may want to sell up and move to the country and own two houses. One as a holiday let and one to live in. However, research the costs and risks - holiday letting can be a drain if you can't let the property or if it needs a lot of maintenance and care.

This may sound all rather negative but the bottom line is that the dream and the reality need to be checked very rigorously before you take action. Otherwise you could end up wanting to move back!

Debbie Morgan writes for the UK Property Search Engine, Wheres My Property and Renovate Alerts, the site that finds property to renovate. Debbie also contributes to Property Money Maker.